15 podcasts perfect for summer road trips

Hitting the road this summer? Listening to road trip classics like “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Born to Run” on repeat will only get you so far. Luckily, a podcast revolution is providing listeners with hours of stories, interviews and chats to while away the hours on America’s highways. There are aural options in every flavor, whether you seek a one-off deep dive with a favorite celeb, saucy sex advice, a gripping true crime drama or a kid-friendly science lab.

If you haven’t yet listened to popular titles like “Serial” and “S-Town,” by all means start there. If you’re a fan of public radio stalwarts like “This American Life” and “Radiolab,” continue with them. But if you’re looking to try something else in the podcast-verse, we’ve got you covered. (Mercifully, we are leaving politics off the menu.) We surveyed Star Tribune staffers and came up with 15 podcasts perfect for any road trip.

New York Times culture reporters and friends Jenna Wortham and Pulitzer Prize-winner Wesley Morris take on an issue a week.

Time commitment: Weekly; 40-minutes to an hour.

Perfect road trip: The friendly banter will liven up the flattest parts of the Midwest.

Kid-friendly: Teens who are tapped in to culture would love this.

Best bits: Most episodes draw on pop culture through the lens of race, sexuality and current events, such as episodes on what “Wonder Woman” means for women in Hollywood. nytimes.com/podcasts/still-processing

Hosted by popular sportswriter Bill Simmons and produced by Simmons’ The Ringer Podcast Network, this is a talk show examining the world of sports and pop culture. It is said to be the most downloaded sports podcast of all time.

Time commitment: There are more than 200 episodes, each running an hour to two hours.

Perfect road trip: A summer tour of baseball parks.

Kid-friendly? If you’re OK with swearing.

Best bits: Simmons’ deep knowledge of sports shines through as he expertly dissects the latest sports news. theringer.com